The results of Tuesday’s races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia are widely seen as proof of the political power of centrism.

But that message must have arrived too late to help Tim Donnelly, the California assemblyman from Hesperia who officially announced earlier in the day that he’s running for governor in 2014.

Not only did Donnelly refer to current Gov. Jerry Brown’s policies as an “epic experiment in socialism.” Donnelly also suggested fellow Republican Abel Maldonado, the former lieutenant governor who also is a candidate for governor and supports same-sex marriage and immigration reform, is a “leftist.”

Although plenty of Californians think Brown and the Democrat-dominated state Legislature are too liberal, Donnelly is going to have a hard time convincing more than a fraction of the state voters who elected them that our leaders are promoting socialism or that any GOP candidates are leftists.

The gubernatorial elections back east on Tuesday produced a victory for a mainstream Republican and a defeat for a tea-party-connected Republican like Donnelly. Chris Christie won re-election in New Jersey, adding 12 percentage points to his previous vote share. Ken Cuccinelli made it close in Virginia but lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in a race to succeed Republican Bob McDonnell.